


Take me by the hand, lead me to the land

by Casmole



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Falling In Love, M/M, Mergara, Merman!Ryan, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22366345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casmole/pseuds/Casmole
Summary: “Did you know people have claimed to see mermaids at this island?” Devon said.“Don’t tell me you believe those nutcases.” TJ scoffed.“What? Mermaids could be real! It’s not that outlandish!”“Next you’re going to tell us ghosts are real too.” Shane added.-Shane goes to a small island rumored to have mermaids with a few of his friends. He soon finds out that not all rumors are wrong.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 17
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes the title is a lyric from ocean man

This island really was something. He had to admit that. As apprehensive as Shane had been about spending a full week with his friends and coworkers on a small secluded island, he had to admit the place was gorgeous. It looked as if it had been taken straight out of a movie. Palm trees subtly swaying in the warm breeze. Ocean a beautiful turquoise and almost completely see through. seashells and shiny stones on the beach, glinting in the sunshine. Where the sand ended and the grass started, stood a modern beach house. It was the only house on the island, hell they were the only people here, but they’d told him it was all stocked up and there was nothing to worry about. Shane knew that wasn't true and that there was lots to worry about, but in this moment, as he watched the beautiful island get bigger as the boat sailed closer, he didn't care. He just wanted to enjoy his weak off on this astonishing island with some of his best friends/coworkers. 

Shane hopped off the boat, letting his bare feet touch the sand. It was soft and warm. He took a deep breath, letting some of that fresh ocean air fill his lungs. Jesus, this was almost too good to be true so far. Surely enough, everything couldn’t stay perfect. The house might’ve looked impressive on the outside, but when they all stepped inside it was clear it hadn’t been maintained very well. Honestly though, that shouldn’t’ve come as a surprise since no one was on the island to take care of it. It was fine though. They were most likely going to spend most of their time outside either way and Shane wasn’t complaining. Even if it wasn’t exactly as modern and well-kept inside as it looked outside, it was still cozy enough  _ and _ it had enough rooms that Shane could get one for himself. (That had been one of the only reasons Shane had agreed to this in the first place.) Ah hell, this would be fun, there was no need to worry. 

Shane went to the room TJ had said was his and started unpacking. His room was small but cozy, a single bed filling up most of it. He didn’t spend much time in there though, as the moment he had lifted the last clothes out of his bag, he heard Sara yell; “Shane! C’mon we’re going to the beach!” Shane happily went with them all down to the beach which was barely 10 steps away from the front door. Everyone seemed to have been very pleasantly surprised by the island and just how picturesque it was. They were the only people on the island too, so it wasn’t like they would have to endure kids crying or loud tourists either. It was only TJ, Devon, Mark, Sara and himself. 

Shane put down a towel on the sand and sat down. Devon and TJ sat down on either side of him.

“Did you know people have claimed to see mermaids at this island?” Devon said. 

“Don’t tell me you believe those nutcases.” TJ scoffed. 

“What? Mermaids could be real! It’s not that outlandish!” 

“Next you’re going to tell us ghosts are real too.” Shane added.

Devon scowled and mumbled something about ‘close minded’ ‘boring’ and ‘going to go swim with Mark and Sara.’ 

Shane and TJ spent about half an hour just lounging on the sand until Sara basically pushed them into the water. They spent several hours just joking around, splashing water at each other and just enjoying the sun and lukewarm ocean. It was already 21:20 when someone checked the time. The sun was lower on the sky but still bright. They decided it was time to go back inside, but Shane felt an urge to stay for a while just for himself. When the others had gone back inside, Shane sat down in the water, only his head and shoulders visible above the surface. Just 20 minutes to himself. That’s what he wanted. A bit of alone time in these wonderful surroundings. He took a deep breath of that sweet sweet ocean breeze and closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them again, he could see some sort of shape further out in the water. It almost looked like.. a head? Had one of the others gone back out for another swim without Shane noticing? He only closed his eyes for a few seconds, he would have noticed them. Was someone else they didn’t know about out here too? Shane stood up and walked out until the water went to just above his waist. It was definitely a head. 

“Hey there!” He yelled at the figure. It turned its head towards him, and in the blink of an eye, it was suddenly only a few arms lengths in front of him. What the fuck? 

“Hi! I thought I heard people in these waters!” It smiled. 

Shane took a second to look at the figure. It was a boy with golden skin, the biggest brown eyes and the most adorable smile. As Shane looked at the boy, a glint behind him caught his eye. He looked past the boys face to the water right behind him. Was that…

a  _ tail?! _

Oh  _ boy _ , was Shane seeing things? It looked real. Blue and turquoise scales glinting right under the surface of the water. It was beautiful. But it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Right? 

The boy squirmed under his gaze, the tail wringing very much like it was real. Shane snapped out of his stare. 

“Sorry. Im Shane.” He stretched out his hand, still a bit baffled and confused. 

“Nice to meet you Shane! I’m Ryan!” The boy- merman-? Ryan. Shook his hand with a smile. His skin was silky and wet from the water. 

“Are you- what are you?” It tumbled out of Shane before he could do anything to stop it. “I’m sorry. Maybe that was a bit rude-“

“Oh! No worries!” Ryan cut him off. He cleared his throat before continuing in a ridiculous attempt at a dark growling voice. “I am a demon of the sea, here to collect your mortal souls!” 

“Wha-“ Shane stood there dumbfounded for a second before Ryan bend over in laughter, his face briefly going out of the water, but he just continued laughing without choking or even pausing as his open mouth went under the water. 

_ What the fuck is going on _ .

“Your face is priceless!” The boy wheezed before attempting to get a hold of himself so he could continue. “I’m a merman silly!” 

Shane just stared at the boy- the- the  _ merman  _ for a few seconds, before getting a hold of himself as well and closing his mouth that had been hanging open in utter disbelief. 

“This can’t be real. I’m losing my mind.” Shane muttered under his breath. 

Judging by the way the merman tilted his head and furrowed his brows, he had heard it. Without any warning, Ryan reached up and grabbed Shane’s hand before proceeding to drag him further out towards a large flat rock which stuck out over the surface of the water. He let go of Shane’s hand and then he pulled himself up on the rock. His tail now fully catching the light of the evening sun. Blue and turquoise scales glistening. The color a beautiful contrast to the merman’s golden-olive skin which was also shimmering ever so slightly from the water now running off his back. When he’d made it up on the rock, laying on his stomach with the tail resting along the rock, the end hanging off, letting the fins brush the surface of the water. He gestured for Shane to get up on the rock next to him. Shane did so without taking his eyes off of the glinting tail. 

“You can touch it if you want. See for yourself that it's real.” 

Shane looked up at the merman’s face. He was smiling wide at Shane, big brown eyes fixed on him in what almost looked like wonder. Shane carefully let a hand glide over the scales on the merman’s tail. They felt a weird mix of soft and- well- scaly. It was a weird sensation. But the thing that somehow still shocked Shane, was that they felt  _ real _ .  _ So so real.  _ There was no way they weren’t real. This couldn’t be some sort of wild hallucination. Not even a dream. This had to be real. The was no way it wasn’t. Shane got pulled back to reality-  _ how ironic _ \- when he heard the merman murmur, pure fascination coating his voice;

“I’ve never seen a human up close before. Never spoken to one.” 

Shane looked up again, to see Ryan looking at him awestruck. The merman was just as intrigued by Shane as Shane was by him. 

“You.. But you’re a _merman_ \- a _real_ _merman_. And you’re fascinated by- by _me?_ ” Shane asked, confused. 

“Yes! I mean my dad was a human but i’ve never seen him before. But having a human dad means when i dry off completely i can get legs and walk on land. But i’ve only ever been on land once before, i didn’t meet any humans back then and that was a long time ago too. My mom got super mad at me though and i haven’t been on land again since. I often swim around close to the shore of this island hoping to see some humans though. Apparently i was really lucky because i met you, and i  _ talked _ with you and you’re a human and you’re here right now and- oh i’m really rambling aren’t i?” The merman let out a soft self conscious laugh, looking down at the rock they were on. 

Shane just stared at him completely baffled, jaw hanging open.  _ That was adorable.  _ But also  _ what the fuck is going on?!  _ He was sitting on a rock out in the ocean. Having a conversation with a  _ merman _ . A really cute merman.  _ Jesus, my worldview just got challenged, and I’m focusing on how cute this merguy is, what is wrong with me?  _ His trail of thought got cut off by those big brown eyes meeting his with a somewhat anxious expression. Shane realized he hadn’t said anything and the merman must’ve started worrying. 

“Sorry, i’m still processing the whole ‘merpeople are real and i'm talking to one right now’ thing.” He shot the merman a smile.

Ryan smiled back up at him. A bit of worry seemed to leave him. 

“So Shane, what brings you to this island? There's not people here very often.” The merman started conversationally. 

“Ah, I’m here with a few of my friends for a short vacation.”

“How long are you staying?”

“Just a week.” 

“Oh, okay.” The merman seemed to deflate a bit at that. “Will you come back out here tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, two of us are going to take a boat out here tomorrow.” 

The merman seemed to perk up a bit at that. 

“That’s great! I have to go now before i get in trouble. Just call my name, i’ll hear you! Bye!” With that Ryan slid back down into the water, giving Shane a quick wave, before diving under the surface and darting away. 

Shane blinked for a few seconds before registering that the merman was gone. He just stared in the direction Ryan had gone for a few moments. The sun was starting to go down and it was getting dark, so Shane got himself together and jumped off the rock before waltzing back to the house. Whoa boy. This whole thing was insane. But for now, he was too exhausted to dwell on in too much. Instead he found himself excited to see Ryan again tomorrow. 

* * *

  
  


“C’mon Teej! Let’s go!” Shane yelled at TJ who was walking down the beach towards the boat Shane was already on. 

“I am on my way you impatient child!” Tj grumbled 

Shane just laughed as he helped TJ get in the boat. It wasn’t a big boat but it wasn’t a small one either. Shane knew nothing about boats tho, so he let TJ be in charge. After a few more minutes, they were finally on their way out in the green-blue sea. 

“What’s got you so impatient anyway?” TJ asked. 

“Hoping to meet a friend out here.” Shane answered with a smile.

TJ furrowed his brows; “Meet a friend? Out here? In the middle of the ocean?” He took a second before continuing, “are you talking about dolphins?” 

Shane chuckled. “No. Here let me call him.” Shane cleared his throat. “RYAN!” 

“What the fuck dude?!” TJ exclaimed, surprised by Shane’s sudden outburst. “Who’s Ryan?” 

“Just wait a bit. He’ll be here.” Shane explained. 

“You good man?” TJ asked, still confused and maybe a bit concerned for Shane’s sanity. But Shane just ignored him. He would see. 

Shane called out to Ryan one more time, and within less than a minute, he saw a head poke up out of the water not too far away from the boat. He smiled and waved at it. 

“Hey Ryan! It’s Shane! I’m here with a friend!” 

Ryan had been smiling back up at Shane, but his smile seemed to falter a bit as he looked over and spotted TJ. His deep brown eyes seem to widen a bit. Was he afraid of TJ? He looked over at TJ, who looked just as wide eyed as Ryan. 

“He won’t hurt you Ryan. C’mon bud.” Shane kneeled at the edge of the boat as he encouraged Ryan to get closer. 

\---

Ryan did as Shane instructed, albeit a bit reluctantly. He had trusted Shane the moment he saw him. He didn’t really know why. He just had a gut instinct that this guy was good. He didn’t know this friend of Shane’s. He didn’t know if he could trust him. So he swam slowly towards Shane’s outstretched hand. When he got close enough for his tail to be visible from the boat, he heard Shane’s friend gasp. 

“You want to get up on the boat buddy? I’ll pull you up.” Shane asked with a smile. Ryan turned his attention back to the kneeling giant. He couldn’t help but smile back at the goofy but handsome human. 

“Sure.” He said and took Shanes hand. Letting him pull him out of the water and up on the boat. When Ryan was all the way up on the boat, laying on his stomach, his tail glistening in the sun again, Shane kept kneeling next to him. Ryan appreciated the gesture. He didn’t like being so low on the ground with two tall people glaring down at him, it made him feel vulnerable. But now he had Shane kneeling down by his side. 

“What the fuck.”

They both turned their heads towards the exasperated voice. 

“What the actual fuck.” 

Ryan scooted backwards a bit, away from Shane’s friend and closer to Shane. 

Shane gestured towards his baffled friend. “Ryan, this is TJ. He’s a good friend of mine.” He turned to TJ, while now gesturing at Ryan. “TJ, this is Ryan. Remember what Devon said about merpeople on this island? Well she was right.” 

TJ Stared down at Ryan with his jaw hanging open. Ryan reached up and grabbed Shane’s arm, pulling him closer. He felt uncomfortable like this. Completely exposed out of the water, with nowhere to run to. Shane seemed to notice his discomfort as he gave TJ a glare. TJ closed his mouth, but he still looked just as rattled. Eyes darting back and forth between Shane and Ryan. 

“You… You’re a- a mermaid?” He stumbled.

Ryan frowned, “Excuse me? I’m not a mermaid. I’m a merman, thank you very much.” 

Shane snorted next to him. TJ looked like he was on the verge of insanity. Ryan couldn’t help but laugh too. Ryan held his hand out in front of TJ. 

“Nice to meet you TJ. I take it you’re a human?” He grinned, the banter had taken off the edge and he didn’t feel as nervous now. 

TJ just stared for a few seconds more. But then finally seemed to settle down with a grin of his own, accepting that what he was seeing was real. He knelt down and took Ryan’s hand.

“You got that right. Nice to meet you too.” 

Ryan was relieved that the other man wasn’t as tense as before. He still didn’t trust him as much as he did Shane, for some reason. Why did he trust Shane? He looked up at the man who was still kneeling right next to him. He had a smile on his face, his eyes crinkling at the edges. The same eyes were looking down at him, emitting a warmth Ryan hadn’t seen in anyone else. Not that he met many other people, but it still felt like it meant something. Like his gut instincts were right in trusting this guy. Even if he was human. Even with all the terrible stories he’s heard about humans and what they’d done to his kind. And to their own kind for that matter. But his gut told him that Shane was different. Shane was trustworthy, even if he’d only briefly met him and knew nothing about him but his name. Ryan was the kind to trust his gut. 

“So the one time we convince you to go with us on vacation, you find and befriend a mythical creature the  _ first day? _ ” TJ tilted his head at Shane. 

“Apparently so.” Shane chuckled ruffling the mermans hair. 

“Oh my god i’m a mythical creature?? Holy shit that’s so cool!” Ryan exclaimed, looking between the two humans with an excited grin. 

“Oh yeah, i forgot to mention, this guy is  _ fascinated  _ with humans. Probably more so than we are with merpeople.” Shane said. 

“Hey! I’ve never met any humans before, let me be excited about it!” 

“Like we see mermen everyday. Mate you’re a fantastical creature, we only hear myths about your kind.” TJ cut in. “By the way, is this not uncomfortable for you? Lying here on the deck of a boat?” 

Thinking about it, yeah Ryan wasn’t very comfortable right now. The cold hard surface of the deck pressing against his stomach and tail. holding himself up with his elbows, straining his neck to look up at the two humans as they talked. He couldn’t turn either. Couldn’t replace his tail with legs, as the bottom of the boat was filled with a small pool of water. 

“A little bit yeah.” He answered truthfully, wriggling around in an attempt to somehow find a more comfortable position. 

“Can you sit up even with a tail?” Shane asked finding some folding chairs they’d brought with them on the boat. 

“With some help, i think so yeah.” 

Shane folded out 3 chairs for all of them and then knelt back down next to Ryan. 

“Turn around and then i can lift you up on a chair, yeah?” 

Ryan did as instructed, flopping onto his back. Shane let one hand slide under Ryan’s tail, and the other behind Ryan’s back. The sensation of a dry hand on his scales was strange, but not unwelcome. The tall man lifted Ryan just enough to carefully place him down in a chair. He took place in his own chair right next to Ryan. If anyone were to sail past them, they would be met by a very strange sight. Two normal guys and a  _ literal merman _ just casually sitting in three fold out chairs on a boat. 

“So, if merpeople are real, what else is?” TJ asked after he’d brought a beer for each of them. 

Ryan just held the can, not knowing how it worked or even what ‘beer’ was. 

“Well i can’t say for sure, but i think ghosts are real, demons and aliens too.” Ryan replied in a mostly serious tone, but that didn’t stop Shane from the failed attempt at hiding a giggle next to him. “What? Why’s that so funny?” 

“You’re- you’re a  _ merman _ , that believes in  _ ghosts  _ and  _ demons _ .” Shane was now full out wheezing. 

Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. 

“You don’t know if they’re real! You can’t say they’re not!” 

“Definitively, no i cannot. Honestly two days ago i would have laughed at anyone who believed in mermaids too. As a matter of fact i did just exactly that literally yesterday right before meeting you. But at least you make some kind of scientific sense. Ghosts and demons do not.” 

“Yeah they do! We just don’t understand it yet.” Ryan scoffed.

“That is such a cop out answer.” 

“No it’s not! You’re on my side here, right?” Ryan turned to TJ with a pleading look. 

“Sorry bud. I’m with Shane on this one. Even though you exists, i still don't believe in all that supernatural stuff.” TJ smiled, giving him an apologetic look. 

Ryan just grumbled something about ‘you’ll see’ and shifted angrily in his chair, this only made Shane snicker at him, Tj very obviously holding in a giggle as well. 

They sat there, discussing everything and nothing while drinking their beers. (Shane had eventually noticed Ryan just holding his and helped explain it to him.) Ryan learned a lot about humans and their way to go about things. Everything from how they lived to the structure of their society. Ryan had heard some bits about it here and there but he’d never had some actual humans who could explain it all to him, so he listening carefully. They asked about him some too, but Ryan felt as if his life was incredibly dull as a merman, compared to their full interesting lives as humans. But they seemed interested in what he had to say too, so he’d tell them a bit as well. He explained how his dad was a human too and how that’d given him the possibility to walk land as well. 

“It’s been hours, we should probably head back to shore before the others start to worry.” TJ had just checked his watch. “Why don’t you come back with us Ryan?” 

Ryan took a second to consider this. He really did want to. He was really enjoying their company, especially Shane’s, whose hand was currently resting on his bare shoulder. But then he remembered how angry and upset his mom had gotten last time. He didn’t want that to happen again, so he just sighed and shook his head. 

“I can’t. Sorry.” 

“Aw c’mon, why not?” 

“My mom would get really mad. She’s probably already starting to worry. Sorry guys.”

“Alright then, we’ll see you tomorrow?” TJ asked.

“Absolutely.” Ryan smiled.

He leaned towards Shane, giving his side a little nudge, trying to convey the same thing a hug would. He then let himself slide off the chair and back down on the deck before dragging himself to the edge of the boat. With one last smile and wave back at the two humans, he jumped back into the ocean and swam away with butterflies in his stomach. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane scooted closer to the merman and put a hand on his shoulder “You can’t just stay out here for the rest of your life either buddy, you have to-” 
> 
> Shane was interrupted by a scream.

“TJ, do we have to bring everyone? It might scare him away.” Shane whispered, not wanting any of the others to asks questions. 

“C’mon man, it’s gonna be great. I’m sure Ryan will like them.” 

TJ was far too excited about this for Shane to have any chance at talking him down. He sighed.  _ Sorry Ryan _ , he thought. 

“ _ Fine. _ Let’s get going then.” 

It wasn’t long before they were all sailing out in the green-blue waters. 

“Okay, so you guys have to meet someone.” TJ started, a grin on his face and a glint in his eyes. 

“Huh? Right now? Out here? Are they hiding on the boat or something?” Sarah asked, tilting her head slightly. 

TJ held up a hand in front of her, before continuing; “No. So, the day we arrived here, Shane met a… guy. out here. And yesterday when Shane and I sailed out, i met this friend Shane had made too. He’s a great guy, and therefore we’d like for all of you to meet him to. I think Devon especially will be excited about this.” 

Devon furrowed her eyebrows. Mark didn’t outwardly seem to have any reaction except for slightly narrowed eyes. Sara opened her mouth to say something but TJ held up his hand again before she could say anything. 

“Shane will you call him? I think he’s more likely to listen to you than me.” 

Shane nodded and called out Ryan’s name, startling everyone except TJ. 

“What the fuck?” Sara and Devon both blurted at the same time. 

“Who’s Ryan? And why are you yelling his name when we’re out in the middle of the fucking ocean?” Sara exclaimed. 

“Just wait.” TJ pleaded. 

Sara looked like she was about to protest, but stopped when TJ pointed toward a point in the water. 

“Hey Ryan, Why don’t you come up on the boat again?” Shane smiled at the little head that was now visible over the surface of the water a few meters from the boat. 

Sara, Devon and Mark all just stared out at Ryan, either too confused or too shocked to say anything. Ryan glanced up at the amount of humans on the boat and didn’t swim much closer, instead he was swimming a bit from side to side. 

“It’s alright Ryan, They won’t hurt you. C’mere and i’ll help you up bud.” Shane tried. 

The merman shot a few more cautious looks at the group before slowly inching closer to Shane who had knelt down at the edge of the boat with an outstretched hand. When he finally reached the boat, he took Shane’s hand and let the tall man pull him up onto the boat. Devon seemed to wake up from her trance again when Ryan’s tail was on full display laying on the boat. Her eyes turned wide and her features spread into a grin. 

“I told you so!” She yelled pointing an accusatory finger at TJ and Shane 

TJ rolled his eyes; “That’s really the first thing you think about in this moment?” 

Shane felt someone grab his arm with a firm grip and looked down to see Ryan almost leaning on his leg. His eyes were just at wide as Devon’s, but it seemed to be of fear instead of excitement. Shane knelt back down next to him and Ryan quickly turned his head to look up at him. TJ and devon were still bickering, Sara joining in quickly as well. Shane put a careful hand on Ryan’s back, trying his best not to scare the merman further. But Ryan leaned into the touch, his eyes now back to the three new humans. 

“Ryan, it’s okay, there’s no need to be scared.” Shane spoke, barely above a whisper. 

That seemed to catch the attention of the rest of the group as they all looked back to Ryan and Shane as if they’d forgotten they were still there. Ryan instantly shrunk under the gazes of all the humans towering over him. He grabbed a hold of Shane’s ankle and leaned against the human. Shane let the arm on the mermaids back slide over and around his shoulder, pulling him closer. Shane looked up at his friends, giving them a pointed look. 

“Guys could you please-” Shane started but Ryan interrupted him

“It’s fine. I’m just.. I’ve never been so close to so many humans before and you know the stories we hear and what we see from other sailors and i know it’s bad to assume from that but i just can’t help it and-” 

“Ryan, take a breath.” Shane murmured, rubbing circles on the mermans shoulder with his thumb in a reassuring manner. 

“It’s okay. We get it. Right guys?” TJ smiled and the rest of the group nodded. “What’d you say we get some chairs like last time so we’re all on eye level, yeah?” 

Ryan smiled and nodded, still leaning into Shane’s hold as TJ got out some folding chairs. 

A few beers and plenty laughs later, Ryan seemed a lot less wary of the humans and Shane relaxed knowing the merman felt safe again. 

They lost track of time quickly and all of a sudden the sun was low on the horizon. 

“Hey Ryan, why don't you come back with us? You can walk on land right?” Sara asked 

“I can, but-” 

“It’d be awesome! you can sleep in Shane’s room.” Devon smiled. 

“You’re more than welcome to come with us Ryan,” TJ said. 

“I really appreciate it you guys, but i can’t. My mom will kill me.” 

“Aw c’mon-” Devon started but Shane cut her off.

“It’s okay Ryan.” He said.

Ryan sighed but smiled up at Shane. 

“We better get going then. It was great to meet you Ryan.” Mark shook hands with Ryan. 

Ryan smiled and said bye to everyone before jumping back into the ocean and swimming off.

Back on the island, Shane decided he wasn’t quite done spending time with the merman and stayed behind on the shore as the rest of his friends went up to the house. He was just fascinated with the merman, that was all. That’s what he told himself at least. Who wouldn’t want to spend as much time as possible with a fucking  _ merman _ . It was just a bonus that this particular mermaid was cute, sweet,  _ delightful _ . Shane wanted to take the merman home with him.  _ He’s just fascinated. it’s nothing more.  _ Maybe he clicked with this merman as a person too. That’s just lucky for him. Just a plus. Nothing else. Just fascination. 

Instead of just standing on the shore letting his thoughts run wild, Shane starts walking back out into the water. He walked out to the rock Ryan had led him to on their first meeting. He sat on the rock just looking up at the stars for a few minutes before calling out to the merman. Another couple minutes passed before eventually the merman emerged from the water right under Shane’s feet, effectively making Shane jump. Ryan laughed as he pulled himself up on the rock next to Shane. 

“Hi Ryan,” Shane said. 

“Hi Shane,” Ryan replied, “why are you still out here? I thought you’d gone in for the day.” 

“Can’t blame me for wanting to spend more time with an actual merman can you?” Shane smiled down at the merman next to him, but his smile faltered when he saw a tinge of- something, hurt? in Ryan’s eyes. “No, Ryan, i just really enjoy your company, merman or not.” This thankfully made the merman perk up again and smile back at Shane. 

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Yeah, Ry.” Shane reassured him, “Honestly it’s sort of strange, i’ve known you for two days but i guess we just clicked huh?” 

“I guess so. I mean, i don’t really have a lot of friends out here. There’s not a lot of merpeople left in general but especially not out here. It’s nice to have someone to talk with other than my mom.” 

“It sounds kind of lonely to me. Don’t you ever get an urge to go out and meet some people?” 

Ryan sighed and looked down into the water. “I do, but i can’t just leave my mom behind like that.” 

Shane scooted closer to the merman and put a hand on his shoulder “You can’t just stay out here for the rest of your life either buddy, you have to-” 

Shane was interrupted by a scream. Both him and Ryan startled and looked in the direction of the noise. It was an older looking mermaid with long black hair who was quickly moving towards them. 

“Get your filthy human hands of my son!” She yelled as she approached them. Shane quickly removed his hand from Ryan's shoulder and held both of his hands up in front of his chest. 

“And as for  _ you,”  _ she pointed a finger at the wide eyed merman, “What in the  _ world _ do you think you’re doing?!” 

“Mom he’s not like you think, he’s not like them-” Ryan started, speaking quickly, but he was interrupted by his mom.

“You’re not even supposed to be this close to the shore! And here you are, mere meters from the shore, talking to a  _ human _ !” 

“I promise i really mean no harm-” Shane tried, but was also interrupted by the now furious mermaid. 

“Don’t even say a single word human!” She turned her attention to him, “You stay away from my son!” 

Shane opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again when the mermaid sent him a murderous glare. Instead he looked back over at Ryan. The merman caught his eyes and Shane’s heart melted. Ryan was looking at him with the biggest shiny eyes and a small frown. 

“I'm so sorry Shane” he said, “I have to go.” 

  
“Ry-” before Shane could say anything more, the merman leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. But before he pulled back, he whispered  _ ‘i’ll come back. Don’t go home without me,’  _ his lips still grazing the humans cheek as he spoke. Then the merman pulled back and shot Shane a small smile before jumping off the rock into the water. His mom sent Shane another death glare before they both swam away. Shane stayed there on the rock until he could no longer hear Ryan's mom scolding him, and then he walked up to the shore, just for him to sit down on the sand. He let his head fall down onto his knees. 


End file.
